But ask the new graduates of the Pacific Coast FIRE Academy the most important lessons they've learned during the seven-week program and nearly all of them will say the same thing: self-discipline, respect and how to get along in life.

"This program helped me be more mature, and I learned that I liked to help people a lot," said Alejandro Sanchez, a senior at Monroe High School, whose career aspirations switched from computer science to firefighting after his second stint at the academy.

"Firefighters show respect to the community, and the community shows respect to them. And the community expects us to show respect, too."

Sanchez and about 40 other San Fernando Valley teens were honored Saturday during ceremonies marking their completion of the rigorous program, which includes classroom and hands-on instruction at LAFD Station 81.

"It's a phenomenal program, with the opportunity to provide youths with life lessons and skills," said Fire Chief Brian Cummings, who heads the 3,200-member agency.

The Fire Instruction Recruitment and Education Academy is a collaboration between the city Fire Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

For the previous seven Saturdays, students from Monroe, Panorama, Cleveland and East Valley High schools, and the nonprofit Casa Esperanza Community Center, participated in the character-building program.

"Our No. 1 goal is to get kids to focus on high school graduation," said Capt. Alicia Mathis, who founded the FIRE Academy in 1999.

"We also teach kids through the Fire Department model how to be good citizens. We like them to develop discipline and responsibility, to keep a focus on good grades, staying out of trouble and away from drugs and alcohol."

The academy also gives cadets a taste of what it might be like to be first-responders, with training and mentoring from current and retired firefighters and paramedics.

"It's hands-on from Day 1," said Mathis, a 23-year veteran of the department. "The kids are wet and dirty and sweaty -- and they're loving every minute of it."

That was evident Saturday, as some cadets polished their newly learned skills while others set up for the ceremony.

A team of cadets got last-minute instructions on deploying a hose from retired Gardena Battalion Chief Lee Macpherson, while a trio of teen girls hefted 40-pound wooden ladders onto their shoulders and ran toward the drill tower.

Instead of taking a shortcut across the sprawling complex, the cadets hustled single-file as if on a grid, mimicking how firefighters balance on the rafters of a roof.

"I didn't think I would be able to do men's stuff, but it turned out I was strong enough," said Valeria Miranda, a junior at Cleveland High.

The FIRE Academy runs four sessions annually around Los Angeles, including the one overseen by Capt. Kristin Crowley at LAFD's Drill Tower 81.

Each session costs about $15,000, with funding coming from the nonprofit LAFD Foundation and, this year, from a $65,000 grant from Motorola.

Participating high schools can each send up to 20 students, who are chosen by their counselors based on grades, attendance and attitude.

The program relies heavily on volunteer instructors -- retirees like Macpherson, and aspiring firefighters like LAFD Explorer Michael Rucker and Miranda's 21-year-old brother, Sebastian, who is enrolled in the fire academy at College of the Canyons.

Along with firefighting basics, they teach the kids skills for the real world -- how to give a firm handshake, carry on a conservation, look someone in the eye. Every adult -- there are no exceptions -- is addressed as "sir" or "ma'am."

Cadets each write a business letter to Cummings, sharing highlights of the program and thanking him for the opportunity. And they compile a personal resume, an assignment that cost 16-year-old Brandon Norin his spot as squad leader when he forgot to bring it with him one week.

"I learned from my mistake," said Norin, a sophomore at East Valley High. "But I'm still part of a team. If I can't be the best leader, then I'll be the best follower."

Norin said his experience at the academy offered him the first glimpse of the possibilities of a career in the fire service. Others have had that vision for as long as they can remember.

"I want to save lives and protect people and help the community," Luis Rendon, 17, from Monroe High. "Being a firefighter is my dream."